THOUSANDS of pounds of equipment and motocross bikes have been stolen from a garage.

It is thought the raiders used cutting gear to get into the family run garage before stealing nine motocross bikes as well as helmets and other equipment worth around £38,000.

The break in happened on Sunday night at KAIS Suspension Service Ltd when thieves smashed their way into the showroom.

Owners Andrew White and his son Jonathon were alerted to the burglary at the building, based at the Punchbowl Garage just off Lombard Street in Atherton, late on Sunday night.

Jonathon White said: "It has been a nightmare, especially as we are a family-run business.

"When my dad and I went to the garage on Sunday, the alarm was going off and we made the building as secure as we could but we ended up staying overnight to make sure no one came back.

"I don't know what we would have done if they had returned.

"They obviously came tooled up. The front door has two very big metal boxes that the locks go into and they have cut through them — with what I don't know.

"They smashed a wooden door. As as an extra precaution we have a metal cage that was locked and they cut through that as well.

"A neighbour said they saw a white van in the area and we later found some bike parts so they have obviously reversed the van up and loaded the bikes on before driving off."

The business was set up 35 years ago. All the bikes stolen were off road motocross bikes, three of which were new.

"These are quite specialist bikes and all of them are listed so hopefully if they try and sell them someone will notice," said Jonathon White, aged 42.

He says the gang could have stolen the bikes and equipment to order and it could have been taken aboard.

He added: "The building is now secure and we have had a new CCTV system installed."

The burglars also smashed several display cabinets to steal helmets and clothing from the store.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that they were called to the premises at 10.15pm on Sunday.

No arrests have been made but officers are asking anyone who may have seen anything to call 101.